There are a few indelible images that have already emerged from the second Trump administration: thousands taking to the streets during June’s No Kings Day protests, Mark Zuckerberg insisting that tampons be removed from Meta men’s rooms, produce markets in downtown L.A. sitting fallow after ICE raids in the area. Now, you can add to that list a Belgian warehouse full of $9.7 million worth of contraceptives, just waiting for the State Department to destroy them instead of sending them abroad to be used by people in need.
Below, find everything you need to know about Trump’s shocking (yet, depressingly enough, not surprising) blow against reproductive autonomy and foreign aid.
Is the State Department actually destroying the contraceptives?
Yes. The Belgian foreign ministry told Reuters that it had “explored all possible options to prevent the destruction, including temporary relocation,” but were unable to reach an agreement with Trump officials. “Despite these efforts, and with full respect for our partners, no viable alternative could be secured. Nevertheless, Belgium continues to actively seek solutions to avoid this regrettable outcome,” it said, adding: “Sexual and reproductive health must not be subject to ideological constraints.”
Where was the birth control supposed to go?
Senior State Department aides have noted that the birth control was likely intended to be received by women in Africa, though it’s not known exactly which part of the continent the medication was meant for. “Despite multiple offers from international humanitarian organizations, governments, and global health actors to purchase or redistribute these supplies, the US government has refused all alternatives,” read a statement released by advocacy groups including International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF), Sensoa, and Countdown 2030 Europe that had offered to instead transport, repack, store and distribute the birth control themselves—to no avail. The statement continued: “Instead, they are choosing waste and extremist ideology over care, human rights, safety and health.”
What kind of birth control is at risk?
The contraceptives in question are primarily long-acting, such as IUDs, pills, and birth control implants. Most of them have less than 70% of their shelf life left before they expire, but the earliest expiration date listed on the contraceptive stock is 2027, meaning that the Trump administration is destroying medication that is still entirely usable.
How does one even go about destroying that amount of medication?
The supply of birth control will be incinerated, in a painfully symbolic reminder of Trump’s bias against providing poorer countries with aid and/or allowing Americans the agency to make autonomous, often life-saving decisions when it comes to reproductive healthcare.
Will this destruction of birth control cost taxpayers money?
Yes, to the tune of about $167,000. As it turns out, cruelty isn’t free.
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